Sony Mobile and ZMP Collaborate to Create Aerosense, a Drone Photography Company

Sony Mobile Communications has focused only on smartphones and tablets until now. The company is now associated with a robotics manufacturer from Japan, named ZMP.

With this new partnership, Sony aims to launch a series of drones that will allow companies to inspect new regions and acquire aerial photographs with relative ease. In this joint venture, ZMP will be in-charge of supplying robotics technology and automated driving while Sony’s mobile division will take care of the imaging along with the telecommunication requirements.

Aerosense Inc. will be launched in the month of August, which is hardly a week away. However, the company has confirmed that their products will not be available in the market until 2016. Apart from robotics technology, ZMP has also indulged in manufacturing land based vehicles that support automated driving.

In this collaborative venture, Sony Mobile will hold 51 percent of the share and ZMP will hold 49 percent of Aerosense. Sony has a stronghold in the imaging sensor division which has an integral role to play in smartphones and tablets. The technology is being used by some of the top players in the industry including Apple and Samsung.

By stepping into the manufacturing sector, Sony can now create drones which will be integrated with some of their best image sensors. It gives a viable opportunity for the company to showcase the prowess of their products which in turn will help them generate more revenue with the tech they own.

Drones have been getting really popular in recent times. However, most people consider it to be a toy. A lot of popular companies including Google and Amazon are actively involved in using drone cameras to their advantage. Amazon is trying to use them for instant delivery while Google utilizes drones to gather information for their maps service.

Apart from these companies, industry giants including DJI and Lockheed Martin are actively involved in producing professional drones. Sony will probably stay clear of this excessively competitive market and focus on using automated drones to boost the sale of their image sensor devices. It is a wise decision to make than competing with behemoths in the industry.

While it is confirmed that Aerosense will be manufacturing automated drones, there is no word on the type of industries that their products will cater to. DJI is already making drones which are primarily used for aerial photography by companies and in the entertainment industry. Sony Mobile’s sensor technology is expected to be its selling point when they enter the industry next year.